Cazenovia wins state hockey championship, rolls to 6-2 victory over Williamsville East

Utica – Mason Powell had a plan. The party in hockey almost always means mobbing the goalie. With the outcome long ago decided, Powell began deciding where to stage the celebration. The starting goal-keeper for Cazenovia High School believed a more fitting location might be at center ice, right in front of the large, roaring section of Lakers fans that gathered at the Utica Memorial Auditorium on Sunday. With sticks, helmets and gloves flying in the air as time expired and the celebration on, Powell ripped off his goalie mask and sprinted away from his teammates. The Lakers ran him down. The dog pile, as the team calls it, began forming at center ice, just where Powell had planned.

It seems even the final gathering was part of Cazenovia’s master plan. The Lakers scripted a perfect ending to a perfect season by crushing Williamstown East 6-1 on Sunday to capture the NYSPHSAA Division II ice hockey state championship. It was the first state title in hockey for the Lakers, who finished the season 25-0, and the third straight Division II title for Section III. New Hartford won the last two.

What Powell didn’t plan was smashing his face against the ice. The junior was at the bottom of the dog pile, his entire team stacked like pancakes on his back. Powell emerged with a gash above his left eye, a bit of blood and a delirious smile. It’s how you feel as state champions.

“I’m pretty numb right now,” said Powell, a smile beaming across his face. “I’m pretty happy.”

It was about the only self-inflicted wound of the afternoon by Cazenovia. That seemed to be pretty much the only way Cazenovia might ever lose a game this season. There certainly weren’t enough on Sunday for Williamsville East to even think about springing an upset. The Lakers dominated the semifinal and championship games and dominated the season with the kind of distance that left little question that a title was their destiny.

“I don’t mean to sound arrogant,” said Cazenovia senior defenseman Joe Nardella, “but all season long, our motto has kind of been, expect to win; rather than want to win. Expect to win. We’ve held ourselves accountable to that – like expecting to win.”

Cazenovia Wins the Division II NYSPHSAA Hockey ChampionshipCazenovia won the Division II NYSPHSAA hockey championship on Sunday March 13, 2011 at the Utica Memorial Auditorium. Cazenovia completed an undefeated season by winning the championship game 6-2 over Williamsville East from Section 6. Video by Stephen D. Cannerelli (1:29)

It was evident even during the final seconds before the opening drop of the puck. Williamsville East players on the bench banged their sticks wildly against the boards. The players on the Caz bench sat quietly, focused on the game and their task.

It took some time to get to the tipping point, but not much. With about 4 minutes left in the first period, the Lakers struck for a power play goal. Sophomore Connor Cannizzaro knocked in a beautiful pass from Brian Gara to give Caz a 1-0 lead. Eleven seconds later, the Flames went on their own power play. Only this one turned into a disaster.

The Lakers toyed with the puck as they killed the penalty, particularly with Nardella and Sean Cannizzaro playing keep away as they passed the puck back and forth. Suddenly, teammate Sam Lewis broke up ice with the puck on a two-on-one. Lewis cut to his right, lost the defender and buried the puck for a short-handed goal and a 2-0 lead.

“A lot of people kind of go on the defensive on the penalty kill. We really don’t,” said Caz coach Jon Davignon. “We kind of keep attacking people, keep them on their heals. That’s exactly what they did.”

The lead ballooned to 4-0 in the second on goals by Nardella and Lewis. Williamsville East came unraveled. The Flames were whistled for six penalties in the second period – four for roughing and one for unsportsmanlike conduct. It got worse in the final period when they got two more roughing penalties. Williamsville East coach Mike Torrillo said after the game that his only regret about his team’s play was its behavior.

Williamsville East made it 4-1 on a tip-in goal with 3:42 left in the second period by Mike Sarcinelli.

“Once we got the fourth goal, we knew we were pretty much in the clear and it was going to be hard for them to come back,” Nardella said. “I just told my guys, we’ve got to keep pushing. We can’t give them any signs of life. We got two more in the third.”

One came after Sean Cannizzaro held the blue line and kept a puck in the zone. He then made a pass to Lucas Catania who finished with a goal to make it 5-1. Sarcinelli answered with a pretty goal coming down the left side and tucking it just inside the pipe. Cazenovia’s John Grecean applauded the goal on the ice. Caz fans applauded the final goal when Nardella dug out a puck from the sideboards and zipped it across the ice to Connor Cannizzaro, standing unguarded in front of the goal. He one-timed into the net for the final goal.

Cazenovia seniors said they’ve dreamed of this day for three years. They sustained heart-breaking defeats to Corcoran and New Hartford in the section playoffs the last two years. This was their final time. It was everything they imagined as they skated around the ice, holding up the championship plaque as if it was the Stanley Cup.

“Happy, just relieved,” said Caz senior Sean Cannizzaro, selected co-MVP of the tournament along with Lewis. “You can’t explain it. It’s just awesome.”